Violence against civilians and the collective punishment of a community are war crimes. The children in Gaza need a voice and they need leaders to hear, listen and act. We need a ceasefire now.
Senator HANSON-YOUNG (South Australia) (13:34): I stand here today alongside the millions of Australians and the hundreds of millions of people around the world calling for a ceasefire. I want to reiterate the condemnation of the war crimes of Hamas, I want to reiterate that the hostages must be released and I want to reiterate that the invasion in Gaza, the collective punishment of innocent Palestinians in Gaza and the deaths of thousands of children, cannot be justified. The suffering of innocent people—the pain of these children, the deaths of innocent women and children—cannot be justified and must not be justified.
Sadly, it seems that peace is now even further out of reach. We must all do better at ensuring a de-escalation of the violence and the war crimes and ensure that we all stand for peace, the respect of human life and international law. Violence against civilians and the collective punishment of a community are war crimes. The children in Gaza need a voice and they need leaders to hear, listen and act. We need a ceasefire now.